I picked up a few boxed Jaleco games at Omocha Souko yesterday - Choplifter, Argus and Murder on the Mississipi.I already had a couple of other boxed Jaleco games - Moero Pro Yakyu and Uchu Cosmo Carrier - so that gives me a grand total of five.
I rather like the Jaleco boxes. They look very clean, tidy and 80s (if I can use that as an adjective). Choplifter here has to be my favorite, I have been looking for a boxed copy of it for quite a while:
I really dig that artwork, it is quite action packed without looking too action packed. Choplifter is also one of my favorite `games that I am bad at playing`. I rarely get past the second level but its one of the carts that I always keep handy in case I feel like having a go at it.The back of the box is pretty cool too:
One thing I only noticed today is that the Jaleco games are numbered. The early Namco games like Galaxian, Mappy, Sky Kid, Pac Man and so on are numbered 1-18 on the carts. I have the whole set of those, but it was only on looking at my Jaleco boxes stacked up that I noticed they were numbered too:
Each number is preceded by `JF`, which I assume stands for Jaleco Famicom or something similar. Argus here is also a pretty good one:
I like it for pretty much the same reason I like the Choplifter box.My Moero Pro Yakyu still has the price sticker on it:
Daimaru is a department store downtown that is still in business. About half of the Famicom stuff that I have which still has original price tags on them come from Daimaru. It must have been the main source for Famicom games in Fukuoka back in the 80s. Today I`m not even sure if they sell games (or other toys) anymore.
Jaleco boxes have a very uniform look, if that makes sense. They kind of resemble new game packaging in that regard...
ReplyDeleteAlso, I got Labyrinth for my Famicom off of eBay today. I heard that one's really good. If you don't have that one, you should keep your eyes out! It's an example of a licensed game being good!
Yes, uniform is the right word. I like game boxes in series like this that have a uniform look to them. Makes them look neat when they are stacked up.
ReplyDeleteI have Labyrinth. Liked the movie as a kid, like the game as an adult. Was that one never released on the NES?
Yes, Labyrinth was never released on the NES. Famicom only.
ReplyDeleteSweet.
ReplyDeleteI love how these boxes scream I'm from the 80s. The art on those boxes is usually way better than the games really are :D
David - thanks!
ReplyDeleteCocole - I like that about them too. With some of them (Mississipi Murder especially) you are really correct about the art being better than the game!
Sweet, it's cool you have all those price tags from a store that still exists - I love stuff like that! :) I agree that the Choplifter cover is great too. I've got the game on the MS but I'm equally bad at it :( That Argus box art is nice too but I've never heard of the game - I'll check it out based on this post! :P
ReplyDeleteYeah, the price tags are a nice added touch eh?
ReplyDeleteArgus is a pretty decent vertically scrolling shoot em up. I believe it was a Japan only release but I`m sure you can find it somewhere!!